Nature & small heritage
45,29 Km
3 h 00 min
I cycle often
45,29 km cycling route from Hostens to Langon
After enjoying all the outdoor possibilities at Hostens, the Scandibérique continues south, via a long stretch of greenway, to the town of Bazas and, thanks to a recent extension, as far as Langon. This good-quality greenway in fact makes it possible to go from the Bassin d'Arcachon by the coast to the Canal de Garonne (via Langon and Castets-en-Dorthe). You cycle along a really lovely path through quiet pine forests. Note how different plots are planted with pines of different ages. While the colour green dominates, when heather and broom flower, Impressionist touches of yellow, white, pink, red and purple are added to the picture. If heading out quietly early in the morning, you may encounter deer on your path.
Elevation of the stage
131 m 74 m
Waytypes of the stage
Cycle path: 45,64 km
Surface of the stage
Smooth: 10,14 km Unknown: 35,50 km
The route
The route
Via a greenway. Take care crossing the RD3 road at St-Symphorien. The way is signposted.
Surfacing smooth: asphalt.
PROVISIONAL ROUTE VIA BAZAS > CASTILLON DE CASTETS
At time of writing, the route via Langon wasn’t fully laid out, so, while awaiting its completion, cyclists have had to follow minor roads between Bazas and Castillon de Castets before rejoining the part shared with the Canal des 2 Mers à Vélo route. Signposted EV3.
Link
At Hostens, cycling link towards Mios, the Bassin d’Arcachon and La Vélodyssée major coastal cycle route.
9km from Bazas, at the place named La Gare, follow the greenway to reach Bazas.
Trains
- Langon train station: regional TER lines for Bordeaux, Agen and Sète
Don’t miss
- Hostens: the Gothic chapel of Ste-Catherine (15th-16th centuries); the church of St-Pierre (19th century); the Maison Pirinski (a copy of a Bulgarian château); the sheep park; Hostens Domaine de Loisirs, an outdoor leisure centre based around five lakes, with swimming and watersports, plus parts reserved for exceptional flora and fauna
- St-Symphorien: typical farms and shepherds’ buildings of the Landes pine forest; the Chalet Mauriac, the restored holiday home of Nobel-winning writer François Mauriac; the church (16th-19th centuries)
- Villandraut: a fortified castle built for Bertrand de Got, a local noble who became Pope Clement V, moving the papacy from Rome to Avignon (14th century); Maison Braneyre, an historic house containing the local history museum
- Uzeste: the Gothic collegiate church of Notre-Dame, containing Pope Clement V’s 14th-century tomb effigy; music festivals
- Bazas: the Gothic cathedral of St John the Baptist (13th century); the Tour Episcopal (Bishops’ Tower); the ramparts; the timberframe houses; the former Palais du Présidial (18th-century law courts); the Jardin du Chapitre, a terraced archaeological garden beside the cathedral; the Jardin du Sultan, a rose-garden beside the ramparts; the Musée Municipal, on local history
- Langon: the church of St-Gervais, with its painting of the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception by Spanish artist Zurbaran; the banks of the Garonne River
Travellers’ reviews